Talking fashion and more with Joan Rivers

Sandra Diamond Fox

Updated 12:30 pm, Tuesday, March 19, 2013

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NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 12: (L-R) Martha Stewart, Joan Rivers and Star Jones attend the Dennis Basso Fall 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Stage at Lincoln Center on February 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 12: (L-R) Martha Stewart, Joan Rivers and Star Jones attend the Dennis Basso Fall 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Stage at Lincoln Center on February 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 10: Joan Rivers, Kelly Osbourne and Melissa Rivers attend the Chris Benz runway show at the Spring 2013 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on September 10, 2012 in New York City.

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 14: Joan Rivers is seen around Lincoln Center on Day 6 of Fall 2012 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on February 14, 2012 in New York City.

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 14: Joan Rivers is seen around Lincoln Center on Day 6 of Fall 2012 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on February 14, 2012 in New York City.

Photo: Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images For Mercedes-Benz F

Talking fashion and more with Joan Rivers

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According to comedian Joan Rivers, there are two things mothers have said to their daughters since the beginning of time -- "I love you" and "Why are you wearing that?"

And not necessarily in that order.

The Emmy-winning TV talk-show host and Tony-nominated actress has never been known for holding back. Perhaps that's why she's also a best-selling author, playwright and jewelry designer. On top of all that, she stars in WE TV's "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?" that airs Saturdays at 9 p.m.

Though Rivers has homes in Manhattan and New Milford, on "Joan & Melissa" she's still living in the Malibu, Calif., home of her daughter, Melissa, and her 12-year-old grandson, Cooper. The mother-daughter relationship is often put to the test, making for some good drama; the series recently began its third season.

Rivers said her three-bedroom New Milford country home is "my escape. Every three weeks, I get up there, build a fire and entertain friends. It's just heaven."

The multitalented Rivers also works with her daughter on E! TV's "Fashion Police," a 4-year-old weekly talk show in which she critiques the fashion trends of Hollywood celebrities with three co-hosts -- Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne and George Kotsiopoulos. It airs Fridays at 10 p.m.

More Information

Joan Rivers"Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?" airs on Saturdays at 9 p.m. on WE TV."Fashion Police" airs Fridays at 10 p.m. on E! TV.Her latest book, her 11th, is called "I Hate Everyone . . . Starting With Me." It was published in 2012 by the Penguin Group and is a New York Times Bestseller. The Joan Rivers Classics Collection of fashion jewelry, apparel and accessories is available on QVC TV.

Talking by phone from her Manhattan apartment, Rivers shared her opinions on fashion, her TV shows and everything else going on in her life right now.

In season three of "Joan Knows Best," the cast takes many adventures, including a tour of England and witnessing a natural earthquake while filming in California, said Rivers, whose comedy career took off in 1968 when she appeared on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson."

As any mother and daughter would agree, living under one roof together is not always the most ideal situation. "Even though you love your mom, your life is not your life when your mother is in your house," said Rivers, who will turn 80 this year.

When asked her No. 1 best advice for women -- especially mature women -- to look fashionable, without the slightest hesitation she replied, "Do what you want for God's sake!"

As for "Fashion Police," Rivers feels this show is a huge success because "I say what I think. If you're always saying `this looks good' and `that looks good,' the show will be boring.

"Usually, the dresses are lent to the guests, so what's the big deal what I say about them?" she said, adding, "A lot of the guests I've told the truth to on that show don't talk to me now."

For more than 20 years, Rivers has had her own fashion line, the Joan Rivers Classics Collection, which is available on QVC TV. "I always try to wear my own jewelry and clothing. I would be a moron if I didn't like my own line," she said.

Rivers said she and Melissa couldn't be more opposite in their fashion tastes. "I dress like an Easterner. Melissa is a Californian. We exchange bags and shoes, but that's about it. I think she dresses too casually. She wouldn't be caught dead in my clothing. I'm fun. I love to dress up. I dress up to go for a pizza."

When it comes to parenting styles, the pair are also at odds. "Melissa is much stricter than I am. I believe in eating dessert first."

Yet, despite all their differences, Rivers said she and her daughter are extremely close. "When the chips are down, we really are together. We're very bonded."

Rivers is writing a new book, which will be a diary of the past year of her life. She hopes to have it published by year's end.

Brad Axelrod, 54, founder of Treehouse Comedy Productions in Monroe, said he looks at Joan Rivers as a living legend.

"She's got to be one of the most formidable female stand-ups. Her show is a testament to her genius, her work ethic and her talent. I look at her as the consummate Jewish mother," said Axelrod, who has been the comedy business for 30 years.